Alumni Relations: Stepping It Up! February 10, 2009 Showcasing Our Success Barbara W. Currier, Director, Foundation and Alumni Affairs North Carolina Community College System Louise K. Mathews, Vice President, College Advancement & Executive Director, CCC Foundation, Inc.

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina NCCCS “Community”  58 community colleges serving all 100 counties  Different: local needs, local programs  Same: mission to provide high- quality education in order to improve lives and well-being of individuals

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina What I do  Five areas:  Alumni Programs  Investment Strategies and Options  Board Development  Planned Giving  Web Presence and e-philanthropy

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina Components of Comprehensive Resource Development Program  Clear Mission  Involved board who can articulate mission  Institutional commitment  Strong staff with longevity  Annual funding strategy  Successful signature events  Endowment/investme nt strategies  Full engagement of donor constituencies, including alumni  Operational planning giving program

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Full Engagement of Donor Constituencies, including Alumni  Who are your donor constituencies? For community colleges, it’s been local businesses, individuals, trustees, Foundation Directors, civic organizations, employees, industries. Alumni – this group has not been fully engaged. We are concentrating our efforts to establish alumni programs at all 58 community colleges in North Carolina.

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina What the Research Says…  Patty Herbin, Senior Consultant with Performa, Inc., partnering with CRD, conducted a national study on community college alumni relations programs. --Status of Alumni Development in America’s Community Colleges New Century Series Resource Paper #12

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina What the Research Says…  Mark Milliron, Editor of “Successful Approaches to Fundraising and Development,” describes alumni giving in this way….. New Directions for Community Colleges, 124, winter 2003; Jossey-Bass.

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina What the Research Says… Karen M. McArthur, Executive Director of Institutional Advancement at Delta College in Michigan, says that they are making a concentrated effort to re- energize their small alumni- relations program. “ Community Colleges Struggle When it Comes to Soliciting Private Donations.” Chronicle of Higher Education, Feb. 10, 2006,

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina Accomplishments  2006  14 colleges  35,014 alums  Minimal engagement  Some benefits  2009  22 colleges  289,751 alums  More engagement  Expanded benefits

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Piedmont Community College Alumni Partnership Patti Clayton Coordinator, Alumni Relations and Financial Coordinator, PCC Foundation Roxboro, North Carolina Total Enrollment: 9,152

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Piedmont Community College Alumni Partnership  Important to have an employee dedicated to alumni development (half time – moved to 75% time)  Defining alumni  Word-of-mouth ways to get people involved  Build internal support  Advisory Group

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Piedmont Community College Alumni Partnership  Partnership vs. association  Partnering with community organizations  Promoting alumni development through projects on campus  Advocacy  Scholarship fund

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Piedmont Community College Alumni Partnership - Future  Promote ownership – volunteer on projects on campus  Testimonials on website  Developing brochures  Informative “Did you know” s  Phonathan  Alumni month - exam break for students  Registration and orientation

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina CCC & TI TRIO Alumni Group Alice Lentz Director of TRIO Programs Caldwell CC & TI Hudson, North Carolina Total Enrollment: 15,646

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina CCC & TI TRIO Alumni Group  Established program Sept  Goals: To establish an scholarship endowment Welcome committee for each semester Mentoring program Annual reunion

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina CCC & TI TRIO Alumni Group  Sept – Alumni Scholarship reaches $2,500  Presentations at NCCCS Conference and NC CORD  Established student emergency fund  Recycling printer cartridges  Established a book fund  Instilled culture of giving in TRIO students

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Central Piedmont Community College Mary K. Collin Coordinator of Research and Alumni Relations Charlotte, North Carolina Total Enrollment: 59,669

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina  Alumni program focused on fund raising  3 year old program  42,000 names on alumni mailing list - started with 17,000 name list scrubbed by Wealth Engine – 2 mailings each year Central Piedmont Community College

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC  Alumni effort totally supported by CPCC Foundation  Strategic initiative to build donors:  5 years – cover cost of mailings  10 years – Alumni program should pay for itself Within next five years, have development officers making personal calls with alumni donors.

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC  Create culture of giving  Call every alumni donor personally to thank for gift  Showcase Alumni success on college TV program  When mailing to re-acquaint with alums, ask for business card – people want to brag about what they have accomplished

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC  Most engaged alumni are those who went on to a four-year college  Alumni ask why it took so long for CPCC to ask for money  “Ego Massage” – let them tell their stories, how much CPCC meant to their success

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Central Piedmont Community College - Future plans  Create an Alumni Hall of Fame  Recognize employee alums – create a core group of alumni to attend events  Offer more benefits  Targeting 65 + year old people who have taken classes (for free)  Speak to active current student groups

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina 2,200 Credit Students Continuing Education Students Estimate 10,000 alumni graduates Carteret Community College Mary Schronce Development Coordinator

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina College Advancement CCC FoundationAll Fund raisingAlumni Grants Development Boat Donation/Resale Program Carteret CC Advancement

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Carteret Community College Foundation, Inc. The mission of the Carteret Community College Foundation, Inc. is to provide comprehensive community support and resources for Carteret Community College.

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina Carteret’s Foundation has focused on programs and acquisition of real property Carteret Community College Foundation, Inc.

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina 1999 – 2000 attempt at starting alumni association focused on college alumni employees and mass mailings. One half of addresses were bad Carteret Community College

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina Carteret: Alumni Link began in 2006  Reassigned Development Coordinator’s duties to include alumni Hired Development Associate to take over database and clerical duties

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina Carteret’s Alumni Link  Recruit & offer incentives to join at graduation  Events focused  568 good addresses; 50 active alums  Starting program chapters

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Carteret: New Directions  Virtual Alumni groups – Facebook  Encourage faculty excitement  Online newsletters, stories  Mentoring  Engage students  Award for outstanding alums – attract older alums

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina Carteret’s Future Advisory Board Greater visibility on College website Overcome barriers between Registrar’s office and Foundation office Develop alumni fund raising

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Holyoke Community College, Holyoke MA  Joanna Brown  Director of Alumni Relations  Holyoke Community College, Holyoke, MA 

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Holyoke CC, Massachusetts  Ten Steps to Building a Successful Alumni Association at a Community College – first step is “Include alumni fund raising in the mission and the by-laws of the alumni association. “

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Holyoke CC continued  Create a realistic plan and budget;  Focus on the long-term payback to your institution  Purchase adequate software & training  Update and screen your alumni data  Create a strong case for giving -Brown, J. (2002). Ten Steps to Building a Successful Alumni Association at a Community College, Council for Resource Development website ---Brown, J. (2006) Phonathon-Based Alumni Fund Raising, Presentation. CRD Conference 2006.

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington, NC Alumni involvement in successful bond Link to alumni pages on College website

North Carolina Community Colleges Fifty-eight Institutions Creating Success for North Carolina  Benefits – discounts at local businesses  Links on Alumni page to continuing education and transcripts  Distinguished alumni  Alumni news Cape Fear Community College, Wilmington, NC

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Strategic Planning  A disciplined approach to alumni relations starts with your strategic plan.  Review where you are now  Determine where you want to be  Establish measurable goals you want to achieve in your alumni relations program in the next 3-5 years

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Keys to Success  Planning and Organization  Institutional Commitment – budget, staffing  Involved Group  Marketing  The Community

Alumni Relations: Stepping It Up!! February 10, 2009 Showcasing Our Success Barbara W. Currier Director, Foundation and Alumni Affairs North Carolina Community College System Conference

North Carolina Community Colleges 58 Colleges Creating Success Across North Carolina Alumni Relations: Stepping It Up!! Questions… Comments… Discussion!